US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy made history on Monday when he addressed the Knesset at the opening of the Knesset’s summer session, the second House Speaker in Israeli history to do so. The first was Newt Gingrich in 1998. McCarthy landed in Israel on Sunday on an official visit and as a leader of a bipartisan delegation of 17 members of Congress. “It is an honor to join you in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel,” McCarthy said. “This is my very first trip overseas as a US Speaker. There is no place I would rather be than right here, right now with my dear friends – all of you.” Before leaving the Knesset, Netanyahu gifted McCarthy with a signed copy of his book BIBI: My Story.

The prospect of a new casino and entertainment complex in Coney Island has hit a major roadblock, as community leaders have rejected the proposal. The plan to build the casino in Brooklyn’s historic beach and boardwalk was met with resounding disapproval from Community Board 13 members, who passed a resolution against it by a vote of 23 to 8. The chairwoman of the community board expressed her concerns, stating that she did not want to see Coney Island suffer the same fate as Atlantic City, where casinos have surrounded an economically struggling neighborhood. The community board argued that Coney Island already has a high crime rate and that the addition of a casino would only make things worse, leading to addiction and the destruction of families and the community’s quality of life.

In an interview with former adviser Steve Bannon, Donald Trump insisted that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is “failing badly” and that donors are flocking to him instead – despite records released the same week showing that DeSantis demolished Trump in fundraising, even though he hasn’t even launched his presidential campaign. “Well, DeSanctis is failing badly,” Trump said. “Ron DeSanctimonious. I mean, you know, it’s always bad, you endorse somebody. He’s dead, he’s, he’s over, his political career. He’s going to be looking for a job. They’ll be lucky to get a job. Comes to me, begs me for a endorsement. I give it to him. He ends up winning the election, winning the nomination, winning the election by numbers that you wouldn’t believe. I mean, he was so far down, he was gone.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin has accused Secretary of State Antony Blinken of lying to Congress about his contact with Hunter Biden and more. During an appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Johnson alleged that Blinken had lied during a voluntary 2020 interview to secure his current position in the government. Johnson told host Maria Bartiromo that Blinken lied “boldface” to Congress, including about not emailing Hunter Biden, and suggested that Blinken may have told other lies. Johnson further claimed that Blinken’s wife had contact with Hunter Biden while she was an employee at the State Department, using her private email address as a conduit between her husband and Hunter Biden. “What is interesting, Maria [Bartiromo], and here’s a little news for you.

Police officers on Sunday raided the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem after Palestinian flags were hung in the neighborhood as well as sprayed on the walls of the neighborhood. The police officers led Jerusalem municipality employees to the places where the flags were hung and protected them as they removed them using ladders and painted over flags sprayed on neighborhood walls. The operation was carried out relatively undisturbed by the residents of the area, with no major riots taking place. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A splendorous asifa took place in Lakewood on Motzei Shabbos to honor the rabbanim of the Lakewood region, impress upon them the critical work of Adirei HaTorah, and to apprise them of the details of the upcoming maamad hatorah that will be taking place on June 4th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The asifa was the second of three critical gatherings being held by Adirei Hatorah ahead of the massive June 4th event, which, like last year’s asifa, is expected to attract more than 20,000 people. A previous event was held for the Roshei Chaburah of BMG, and a future event will be held for representatives of the dozens of shuls in Lakewood, Jackson, Toms River, Manchester, and beyond.

A tornado touched down in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Saturday as a powerful storm system brought intense rain and powerful winds to the state, overturning cars, damaging homes and snapping tree branches. The National Weather Service in Miami said the tornado hit late Saturday afternoon with winds of 100 mph (160 kph) near Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and headed northeast toward the coast. Storm damage forced authorities in the coastal city to close major roadways in the city as workers cleared debris and inspected wreckage. Images from the scene showed cars flipped over on top of each other, cracked tree limbs resting on vehicles and homes, as well as other debris littering streets. The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department has not reported any major injuries or fatalities.

A fire broke out at the Spinka Rebbe’s home in Boro Park just before 2 am on Sunday, prompting a large emergency response, including from Boro Park Shomrim whose volunteers heroically saved sifrei torah from the blaze. The fire, which is still under investigation, began at the rebbe’s home on 56th Street between 14th and 15 Avenues, in which the old Spinka Shul is located – and which is still used for minyanim during the weekdays. The bais medrash suffered severe damage and will require major work before reopening. The new Spinka Shul is located next door to the rebbe’s home, but the flames thankfully did not reach it. Following the successful dousing of the fire by the NYFD, the rebbe was treated for minor smoke inhalation, who b”h did not require hospitalization.

An increasing focus by the US National Security Agency (NSA) on penetrating Israel’s secure communications network indicates the Biden administration’s fear that an Israeli strike on Iran could lead to a full-scale Middle East conflict, a Ynet article states. The article refers to a recent report by Yediot Achranot that cites “knowledgeable sources” that the NSA has recently recruited dozens of Hebrew speakers. Additionally, the agency now employs about 250 wiretappers, monitors, analysts, linguists and translators of Israeli electronic communication traffic including telephone calls, digital messaging and coded transmissions.

Former Vice President Mike Pence took a direct shot against his ex-boss, Donald Trump, in a podcast appearance during which he touched on the need to reform Social Security and Medicaid. “Remember, Joe Biden’s policy is insolvency,” Pence said on The Dispatch podcast. “In fairness, my old running mate’s policy is identical to Joe Biden’s: That we’re never even gonna talk about Social Security and Medicare. I think we owe my three granddaughters better than that.” “If we just stay on the trajectory we’re on, Sarah, $32 trillion will go to $150 trillion in the next 30 years. And if you wait to deal with it at that point, budget experts will tell you — left, right, and center — you only have bad choices.